Department of Transportation March 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

As authorized by 46 U.S.C. 12121, the Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-build requirement of the coastwise laws under certain circumstances. A request for such a waiver has been received by MARAD. The vessel, and a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

This action amends Class E Airspace at Morrisville, VT, as the Morrisville-Stowe Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) has been decommissioned and new Standard Instrument Approach Procedures have been developed at Morrisville-Stowe State Airport. This action enhances the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

The Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) and the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) of Canada, under international agreement, jointly publish and presently administer the St. Lawrence Seaway Regulations and Rules (Practices and Procedures in Canada) in their respective jurisdictions. Under agreement with the SLSMC, the SLSDC is amending the joint regulations by updating the Seaway Regulations and Rules in various categories. The changes will update the following sections of the Regulations and Rules: Condition of Vessels; Seaway Navigation; Dangerous Cargo; and, Information and Reports. These amendments are necessary to take account of updated procedures and will enhance the safety of transits through the Seaway. Several of the amendments are merely editorial or for clarification of existing requirements. The joint regulations will become effective in Canada on March 31, 2013. For consistency, because these are joint regulations under international agreement, and to avoid confusion among users of the Seaway, the SLSDC finds that there is good cause to make the U.S. version of the amendments effective on the same date.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH (ECD) EC 135 P1, P2, P2+, T1, T2, and T2+ helicopters equipped with a certain main transmission housing upper part. This proposed AD would require installing a corrugated washer in the middle of the main transmission filter housing upper part and modifying the main transmission housing upper part. This proposed AD is prompted by an inspection of housing upper parts that revealed the bypass inlet in the oil filter area was not manufactured in accordance with applicable design specifications. The proposed actions are intended to prevent failure of the main transmission and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and their expected burden. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on December 31, 2012.

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of 14 CFR. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities. Neither publication of this notice nor the inclusion or omission of information in the summary is intended to affect the legal status of the petition or its final disposition.

This document proposes to amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 110 to make it clear that special trailer (ST) tires are permitted to be installed on new trailers with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4,536 kg (10,000 lbs.) or less. It also proposes to exclude these trailers from a vehicle testing requirement that a tire must be retained on its rim when subjected to a sudden loss of tire pressure when brought to a controlled stop from 97 km/h (60 mph). After careful review, the agency believes that these two revisions are appropriate and would not result in any degradation of motor vehicle safety.

Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below is being forwarded to OMB for review and comments. A Federal Register notice (77 FR 11621) with a 60- day comment period soliciting comments on the proposed information collection for the agency's new consumer Vehicle-child restraint system (CRS) Fit program and consolidation of existing collection of vehicle safety information (OMB Control Number 2127-0629) was published on February 27, 2012. The February 2012 ``Request for comments'' notice described a new collection of information for which NHTSA intend to seek OMB approval concerning recommendations from vehicle manufacturers regarding child restraint systems (CRSs) that fit in their individual vehicles. Furthermore, NHTSA planned to combine the new information collection with an existing collection for obtaining vehicle information for consumer information purposes. The agency received comments from the public on the new and existing collection of information. However, since the agency has not published its final decision on the new consumer information program, it is not able at this time to address comments received from the public regarding the new provisions for the collection of information on vehicle-CRS matchups from vehicle manufacturers. Thus, this ``Correction'' notice now focuses on renewing the existing collection of vehicle safety information and only addresses comments received from that information collection. Comments pertaining to the new Vehicle-CRS Fit Program will be addressed at a later time in a new submission, when the agency publishes its final decision on the new program.

The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of the twelfth meeting of the RTCA Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery SystemsSmall and Medium Size.

FMCSA announces receipt of applications from 19 individuals for exemption from the prohibition against persons with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce. If granted, the exemptions would enable these individuals with ITDM to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that it will prepare a Service Level/Tier 1 EIS with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to study potential new and/or improved high- speed intercity passenger rail service along an 850-mile corridor extending from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to the south Texas cities of Laredo and Brownsville (proposed action). In addition to the Service Level EIS, the Texas Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study (Study) also includes preparation of a service development plan for the corridor for each of three sections of the corridor: Oklahoma City to Dallas/Fort Worth, Dallas/Fort Worth to San Antonio, and San Antonio to south Texas. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a partnering state agency in the development of the EIS. The Service Level EIS will evaluate a reasonable range of corridor alternatives and make decisions regarding the preferred corridor, location of train service termini, location of intermediate stops, the level of service, and future planning for projects to implement the service. Alternatives under consideration will include a No Action (No Build) alternative, as well as multiple build alternatives. The build alternatives may include infrastructure improvements in existing or prior rail corridors, the development of one or more new rail corridors, or a combination of both, as well as varying levels of service. FRA is issuing this Notice to solicit public and agency input in the development of the scope of the EIS and to advise the public that FRA and TxDOT will conduct outreach activities regarding the scope of the EIS. To ensure all significant issues are identified and considered, the public is invited to comment on the scope of the EIS, including the purpose and need, alternatives to be considered, impacts to be evaluated, and methodologies to be used in the evaluation.

This notice is to advise interested persons that PHMSA will conduct a public meeting to provide further clarification regarding PHMSA's intent to modify certain special permits in accordance with 49 CFR 107.121. These special permits authorize the manufacture, marking, sale and use of non-DOT specification composite cylinders. The non-DOT specification cylinders authorized by PHMSA's special permits conform to the basic requirements for fiber reinforced plastic (DOT-FRP) or fully wrapped carbon-fiber reinforced aluminum lined cylinders (DOT- CFFC) standards. PHMSA believes that these special permits should be modified to reflect the appropriate International Standards Organization (ISO) standards for composite cylinders ISO 11119 Parts - 1, -2, -3 incorporated by reference into the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR).

FRA is amending the Track Safety Standards and Passenger Equipment Safety Standards to promote the safe interaction of rail vehicles with the track over which they operate under a variety of conditions at speeds up to 220 m.p.h. The final rule revises standards for track geometry and safety limits for vehicle response to track conditions, enhances vehicle/track qualification procedures, and adds flexibility for permitting high cant deficiency train operations through curves at conventional speeds. The rule accounts for a range of vehicle types that are currently in operation, as well as vehicle types that may likely be used in future high-speed or high cant deficiency rail operations, or both. The rule is based on the results of simulation studies designed to identify track geometry irregularities associated with unsafe wheel/rail forces and accelerations, thorough reviews of vehicle qualification and revenue service test data, and consideration of international practices.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Model A300 B4-600, B4-600R, and F4-600R series airplanes, and Model A300 C4-605R Variant F airplanes (collectively called Model A300- 600 series airplanes); and Model A310 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report of an uncommanded slide back of the co-pilot seat to the end stop position. This AD requires a one-time inspection for a part number, a tensile test of the affected seats, and corrective actions if necessary. We are issuing this AD to detect and prevent unwanted movement of a pilot or co-pilot seat in the horizontal direction, which could lead to inadvertent input on the flight control commands and possibly result in loss of controllability of the airplane.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model 727 airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of spanwise cracks and corrosion in the wing center box upper skin and rear spar upper chord between left buttock line (LBL) 70.50 and right buttock line (RBL) 70.50 at body station (STA) 870. This proposed AD would require repetitive inspections of the wing center box for cracking around certain fastener rows on the rear spar upper chord horizontal flange; for certain airplanes, repetitive inspections for cracking of the rear spar upper chord radius; for certain other airplanes, repetitive inspections for damage, cracking, and corrosion of the pressure seal; and repair if necessary. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct cracking and corrosion of the upper skin and rear spar upper chord of the wing center box, which could result in loss of the airplane wing and consequent loss of control of the airplane.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering a proposal from the City of Rolla (sponsor), Rolla, MO, to release a 10 acre parcel (Lot 1) of land from the federal obligation dedicating it to aeronautical use and to authorize this parcel to be used for revenue-producing, non-aeronautical purposes.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by a determination that certain maintenance activities, such as repairs or the accumulation of paint layers, might cause the weight of an elevator to exceed the certified limits. This proposed AD would require checking the weight of certain elevators, and corrective action if necessary; and re-identifying the elevators. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct elevators that exceed the certified weight limits, which could result in reduced control of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model DC-9-81 (MD-81), DC-9-82 (MD-82), DC-9-83 (MD-83), DC-9-87 (MD-87), and MD-88 airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of cracks of the hinge bearing lugs of the center section ribs of the horizontal stabilizer. This AD requires repetitive high frequency eddy current (HFEC) inspections for cracking of the left and right rib hinge bearing lugs of the aft face of the center section of the horizontal stabilizer; measuring crack length and blending out cracks; and replacing the horizontal stabilizer center section rib, if necessary. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracking in the hinge bearing lugs of the horizontal stabilizer center section ribs, which could result in failure of the lugs, and consequent inability of the horizontal stabilizer to sustain the required limit loads and loss of control of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) Model AS332C, AS332L, and AS332L1 helicopters. This AD requires modifying the main landing gear control panel (control panel) 33G, connector 100G, and wiring. It also requires tests to ensure that these modifications function correctly. This AD was prompted by reports of electro-valve power supply disruptions while a helicopter is on the ground, causing the landing gear to retract and the helicopter nose to drop. This results in damage to the forward section of the helicopter's bottom structure. The actions of this AD are intended to prevent an uncommanded landing gear retraction that would cause the helicopter nose to drop and hit the ground while the rotor blades are spinning.

This notice grants the petition of Group Lotus plc (Lotus) for a temporary exemption of the front passenger position of its Evora model from one advanced air bag requirement of FMVSS No. 208, i.e., the higher maximum speed (56 km/h (35 mph)) belted test requirement using 5th percentile adult female dummies. The agency finds that achieving compliance with that requirement would cause substantial economic hardship to Lotus and that the company has tried to comply with the requirement in good faith.

The FAA proposes to rule and invite public comment on the release of land at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport under the provisions of Section 125 of the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR 21), now 49 U.S.C. 47107(h)(2).